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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27144394">tumbling down</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jetplane/pseuds/jetplane'>jetplane</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Amputation, Blood and Injury, Car Accidents, Gen, Graphic Description, Major Character Injury, Serious Injuries, Whumptober 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:35:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27144394</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jetplane/pseuds/jetplane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rossi has to resort to drastic measures after he and Prentiss get into a car accident</p><p> </p><p>prompt: field medicine (day 20)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Emily Prentiss &amp; David Rossi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>tumbling down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Sorry for the rushed ending on this piece; I'm trying really hard to finish thirty-one individual stories by the end of the month and I'm a little bit behind. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up this weekend (no promises, though). </p><p>Note: I'm not exactly sure how graphic this story is. My background has left me with a pretty high tolerance for blood and gore, so it's hard for me to know where the line is when it comes to describing that kind of thing. So I've tagged this with warnings for graphic depictions of violence just in case. Let me know whether you think it was too much, just right, or not enough. </p><p><i>there's a room where the light won't find you<br/>holding hands while the walls come tumbling down<br/>when they do, I'll be right behind you</i><br/>- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rossi fiddled with the radio irritatedly, trying to coax it into producing any noise at all. The team was working in the middle of nowhere, and Rossi and Prentiss were currently in the middle of a two-hour drive even farther into nowhere to interview a retired detective who had led the cold case they were trying to close. Their last radio station had devolved into static about ten minutes ago, but Rossi hadn’t stopped trying to get it back since.</p><p>“Rossi, you’re not going to get a signal,” Prentiss told him, taking her eyes off the road for just a moment to grin at her frustrated colleague. “That’s the whole reason why we’re driving out to this detective instead of just calling him on the phone. There’s literally nothing out here.”</p><p>The older profiler flicked the car radio one last time before giving up on it. He slumped back in his seat and crossed his arms, turning his head to stare out the window. “I don’t understand how people live like this,” he grumbled.</p><p>“Really?” Emily asked playfully. “I thought that’s what people like you did when they retired.”</p><p>“People like me?” Rossi echoed, raising one eyebrow. “What exactly do you mean by that?”</p><p>She chuckled to herself. “You know what I-”</p><p>“Emily!” Prentiss turned her eyes forward just in time to see the deer standing in the middle of the road. She slammed the brakes and swerved sharply to the right. The car slid off the road, onto the shoulder.</p><p>There was no shoulder. Only a twenty-meter drop.</p><p>Prentiss could hear herself scream as they plummeted down the ravine. She felt herself be jostled from within the vehicle and registered a sharp pain as the side of her head slammed into something hard. For a moment, the world flipped upside down and her body was weightless. And then everything stilled.</p><p>-</p><p>Emily woke up to the sound of her ears ringing. Everything looked blurry, and she blinked several times to clear her vision. She was sitting in the driver’s seat of an unfamiliar SUV. <em>What happened?</em> The agent raised a hand to her throbbing head and found something sticky. Blood.</p><p>Blood. <em>Oh, God.</em> There’d been an accident. That’s what must have happened. She’d driven off the side of the road and crashed...somewhere. But she was alive. That was all that mattered, right? No, there was something else she’d forgotten. <em>Someone else is supposed to be here.</em></p><p>“Rossi!” Emily blurted out in horror, turning to look below her. The older profiler was slumped over in the passenger seat, and he wasn’t moving. “Rossi!”</p><p>To her tremendous relief, Rossi lifted his head. He blinked sluggishly and managed to focus his gaze on her. “Emily,” he muttered, face contorting into a frown. “What happened?”</p><p>“I...I think I drove us off the road,” she confessed.</p><p>“You’re bleeding,” Dave exclaimed. He reached up to check the bloodied side of her head, but she pushed him away.</p><p>“I’m fine,” the agent said dismissively. The wound wasn’t deep, and she could tell that it was already starting to clot. “It’s just a scratch. Are you okay?”</p><p>Rossi did a quick inventory of his body, searching for any injuries. “Yeah, I think I’m-” His voice broke off abruptly as he turned to look at his right shoulder.</p><p>“Rossi?” Prentiss grabbed the back of her seat to get a better look at her colleague. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“It’s not a big deal,” Dave said, but Prentiss could tell from his tone that he was hiding something. “My hand is just stuck, that’s all.”</p><p>“Stuck?!” Emily’s voice shook. “Rossi, what do you mean?”</p><p>“I think my arm might have gotten caught,” he replied matter-of-factly.</p><p>“Don’t move. I’m going to unbuckle my seatbelt and see if I can take a look.” Prentiss undid the buckle, climbing over the center console and into the backseat of the SUV where she could get a better look. “Oh.”</p><p>“You see what I mean?” he asked. Part of the vehicle had crumpled, pinning his hand and most of his forearm between sheets of metal. Emily could already see blood seeping through his sleeve.</p><p>“Yeah.” Prentiss took a few deep breaths, trying not to panic. “Alright. Do you think you can get your hand out?”</p><p>Rossi tried, then grimaced and shook his head. “I’m pretty well stuck,” he admitted. “Maybe you can pull me out?”</p><p>“Okay,” Emily said. “Yeah, I’ll do that.” She scurried back over the center console and into her seat, then braced herself as she wrapped her arms around Rossi’s body. “One, two, three, pull!”</p><p>Rossi yelped in pain. Emily immediately let go. “What are you doing?” he asked.</p><p>“I didn’t want to hurt you,” she replied, staring at him in bewilderment.</p><p>The senior profiler shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Just keep going.”</p><p>Prentiss swallowed hard. “Yeah. Okay. Just give me a second, then I’ll try again.” Rossi nodded at her, and she reached for him again. “Ready?” He nodded.</p><p>Rossi’s screams echoed around the car as Emily squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore her friend’s cries as she used all her strength to pull him free of the car. When she stopped, both of them had tears in their eyes. “I can’t do it,” she finally admitted. “I’m pulling as hard as I can, but…”</p><p>Dave nodded, chest heaving from the pain. When he was able to speak again, he turned to look at Prentiss with a serious expression. “You have to leave me here.”</p><p>The statement was so unexpected that it took Prentiss a full ten seconds to process what he was asking. “No,” she immediately blurted out, horrified. “I’m not leaving you.”</p><p>“You have to,” he insisted. “Your head wound could be serious. You need to get it checked out.”</p><p>“I’m not going to leave you,” she argued. “The team - they’ll realize we’re gone soon. Garcia will track our phones, and they’ll come to get us both.”</p><p>Rossi shook his head. “There’s no cell phone reception, remember? The team won’t know that anything’s wrong for at least four more hours. It’ll be nighttime by then, and they’ll still have over a hundred kilometers of empty road to cover.”</p><p>“They’ll find us,” Prentiss maintained.</p><p>“Prentiss, it’s going to be below freezing tonight. We’re both going to die if we stay out here,” he replied, sounding strangely calm. “If you leave now, you can get us both help.” <em>Or at least get yourself help.</em></p><p>“I’m not leaving,” she insisted.</p><p>“Emily-”</p><p>“Don’t ‘Emily’ me,” Prentiss snapped. “I’m not going anywhere.”</p><p>-</p><p>The sun was just starting to go down when Rossi noticed Prentiss shivering. “It’s not too late,” he told her again. “You can still make it out of here.”</p><p>“I’m not going anywhere.” Despite the cold, the fire in Emily’s eyes was still very much burning. “Not without you.”</p><p>Rossi buried his face in his free hand. <em>We’re going to freeze to death here.</em> He took a deep breath. “Alright. We’re both going to get out of here.”</p><p>“What?” Prentiss asked. “How?”</p><p>“I have a knife in my right pocket. Get it out.”</p><p>The agent did as she was told, a questioning look on her face as she handed over the pocketknife and watched her friend unfold the blade. “Rossi, what are you doing?” She gasped as she saw the sharp metal press against Rossi’s injured arm. “Rossi, stop!”</p><p>“It’s the only way,” Rossi replied. His hand shook slightly, but his voice was steady. “I’m not going to be able to get my hand out.”</p><p>Emily shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to swipe the knife from the older profiler. “Rossi, this is insane. You can’t just - you can’t just cut your arm off!”</p><p>“Emily, listen to me.”He locked eyes with her. “The team probably still hasn’t realized that we’re missing. You are going to freeze to death unless you get out of here soon, and I’m not going to let that happen.”</p><p>“Well, I’m not going to let you just cut off your arm,” she protested. “That’s - that’s crazy.”</p><p>“I can live without an arm,” he replied. “My chances are better if I have someone to help me control the bleeding, but I’m going to do this with or without you. So are you going to help or not?”</p><p>She shook her head wildly. “No. No, I’m not going to help you. The team will find us, you just have to - Rossi!” Her jaw dropped as the profiler pushed the blade into his flesh, letting out a groan of pain as drops of blood started to fall. “Rossi, stop!”</p><p>Rossi managed a tight shake of the head as he clenched his jaw. “I have to,” he gasped. He dug the knife deeper into his arm. Emily stared on in horror. The profiler made a third cut, and this time he couldn’t stop a scream from escaping his throat. The sound sent chills down Prentiss’s spine. “Just help me.”</p><p>“Okay,” Prentiss blurted out. <em>This is really happening.</em> “What - what do you need me to do?”</p><p>“Take my tie,” Dave ordered. He tilted his head back, and Emily could see the sweat beading on his forehead despite the chill. “Tie it as tight as you can. It’ll slow the bleeding.” Prentiss scrambled to his side, removing the tie from his neck and wrapping it around Rossi’s upper arm. He held back a wince as she secured it firmly. “Good.”</p><p>He handed her the red-stained knife. “What - why are you giving me this?” she asked.</p><p>“You have to do it,” he explained through gritted teeth. “I keep stopping - it’s too slow. You can make it faster.”</p><p>“No,” Emily protested, shoving the blade back into his hand. “No, I can’t. I can’t do that.”</p><p>Dave nodded at her. “Yes, you can. I believe in you.”</p><p>“No,” she repeated. “Absolutely not. I can’t - I can’t cut off your arm! I’m not doing this. I’m sorry. I can’t.”</p><p>“Emily.” His voice was firm, and for a moment they both forgot that she outranked him. “I’m asking you. Please do this for me.” He slipped the knife back into her hand, and this time, she took it.</p><p>Tears dripped down Prentiss’s cheeks. “Okay,” she whispered. Her hands shook. “I’m - I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t be sorry,” Rossi rasped. “Just do it.” He shifted slightly, making room for her to access his trapped arm, and closed his eyes.</p><p>“Are you ready?” He nodded.</p><p>The sound of Rossi’s cries were almost unbearable as she worked the blade through his flesh. But even worse was the silence as he fell unconscious, the pain too much for his body to handle. “Oh, God, Rossi,” Emily cried out as she saw Dave’s head slump. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she narrowly managed to keep herself upright amid the dizziness.<em> This is the only way.</em></p><p>Emily would never forget the sensation of Rossi’s blood coating her hands, making the knife slippery as she cut through his muscles and tissues. She would never forget the horror of seeing her friend’s exposed bone or the immense pressure she had to use in order to force the slightly dull blade to amputate the limb. And she would never be able to forget the feeling of making that last cut, and the look of Rossi’s severed arm still trapped inside the car but no longer attached to his body.</p><p>She didn’t know how long she stood there after the final cut had been made, just staring, before Rossi blinked his eyes open again with a groan. His gaze was unfocused, but he managed to look down at his bloody, crudely bandaged arm and then up at Prentiss. “It’s done?” he muttered.</p><p>“Yeah,” she replied shakily, trying not to look at what she had just done. “Do you - do you think you can walk? We have to get out of here.”</p><p>“I think so,” he replied. He tried to move his arm slightly and gasped in pain, face screwing up. “Just give me a minute.”</p><p>It’s slow work, but once they got out of the car, Prentiss and Rossi were able to make steady progress up the steep slope so long as Rossi didn’t try to move his injured arm and Prentiss ignored the pained noises he made despite his best efforts. Darkness quickly started to fall, and the cold made it all the more difficult for the agents to continue, but they knew they couldn’t stop.</p><p>Finally, Emily and Rossi made it to the road. The younger agent checked her cell phone, which had survived the crash, and made a face when she saw the words ‘no signal.’ Dave eyed her hopefully. “Anything?” he asked. She shook her head. “Alright then.”</p><p>“We should go north,” Prentiss suggested, pointing in the direction they had come. They started to follow the road but stopped when Emily noticed how hard Rossi was breathing. “Do you need a break?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” he replied, swaying slightly on his feet. Prentiss grabbed his shoulder to steady him. “We have to keep going.”</p><p>She frowned and reached for his uninjured wrist to find a racing pulse. “Maybe you should sit down for a minute,” the brunette suggested, taking her own pulse for comparison. “Your heart is beating way too fast.”</p><p>Dave shook her off. “I can keep going. I just-” His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.</p><p>Prentiss barely managed to catch him before he hit the ground. “Rossi!” She lowered him down as gently as possible. “Rossi, are you okay?” His eyes were open, but just barely, and his breathing sounded labored. “Rossi?”</p><p>“I’m okay,” he rasped. The profiler tried weakly to sit up, but he couldn’t even lift his head. He gripped Emily’s arm. “You have to keep going.”</p><p>“No. I’m not leaving you,” she said stubbornly. “Someone will come by soon. They’ll help us.”</p><p>Rossi’s head rocked from side to side. “Nobody’s coming down this road at this time of night. If you don’t get help, we’re both going to die here.”</p><p>“Maybe if you just rest for a moment-”</p><p>“Emily, I’m not going to be able to get up.” His eyes looked worryingly distant. “Keep going. Find a cell signal and call for help. I’ll be fine until then.”</p><p>Prentiss turned her head, trying hard to hide her tears. “You have to hang on, okay? Stay awake. I’ll be back soon.”</p><p>“I will,” he promised. “Go.”</p><p>-</p><p>Prentiss clutched her cell phone as the battery indicator dropped from nine to eight percent. Just a little bit longer. Any minute now, and she’d have a signal. It just needed to hang on until then.</p><p>A single bar appeared on her screen. “Yes,” Emily gasped just as the battery fell again to seven percent. <em>Please be enough.</em> She dialed 911 and pressed the phone to her ear, praying. <em>Please be enough, please be enough, please be enough.</em></p><p>“911, what’s your emergency?” A male voice came through, a little quiet but clearly audible. Prentiss almost collapsed in relief. “Hello?”</p><p>“I’m - I need an ambulance,” she told the dispatcher. “I don’t know where I am, but my friend is hurt. I had to leave him - he’s alone - please hurry.”</p><p>“Alright, ma’am. We’re tracing your call right now. Can you tell me what happened to your friend?”</p><p>“He’s - his arm - we were in a car accident and I, um, I had to cut it. Please hurry, it’s cold,” she begged.</p><p>“I’m sending EMTs to your location right now,” the dispatcher informed her. “Can you stay with me until they arrive?”</p><p>“I don’t know. My battery is almost dead.” A quick glance told her that she only had three percent charge left. “I think my phone is going to die. Please hurry.”</p><p>“Help is coming,” the man said reassuringly. “Can you tell me your name and the name of your friend?”</p><p>“My name is Emily. My friend - his name is David Rossi. We’re both FBI agents, we work for the BAU and-” Emily cut off. “Hello?” Silence. She lowered the phone. The screen had gone dark. <em>Please get here soon.</em></p><p>-</p><p>Rossi watched the faint clouds of his breath puff up as he lay on the ground. The dirt was far from comfortable, and the freezing air was absolutely inhospitable, but despite these factors, Dave felt exhausted. Whether it was a result of the cold, his blood loss, or actual sleep deprivation was a mystery to him, but he knew one thing for sure. If he closed his eyes, he probably wouldn’t be opening them again.</p><p>But Dave was okay with that. Not that he wanted to die, but he knew he’d lived a good life. Certainly better than most of the people he’d worked with. Of course, there would always be more people to save. But Rossi was proud of his work. If it was his time, he would go quietly.</p><p>In the distance, he could see a light. For the first time in hours, he felt his heartbeat start to slow down. It was time to let go. He thought about what Reid had said once about his brush with death and the warm light he had said he’d experienced. Why was he still so cold?</p><p>The lights brightened, and as they grew closer, Rossi could see that they were flashing. He let out a quiet chuckle as he recognized what they were. Headlights. The ambulance was here. EMTs were rushing over to him in a flash, checking him over before lifting him into an ambulance. Someone pressed an oxygen mask to his face while another started to rebandage his injured arm.</p><p>As they lifted Rossi into the ambulance, he saw Prentiss. Her face broke out into a huge smile of relief when she spotted him, and she rushed to be by his side. “Oh, thank God,” he heard her say. “We’re going to be alright.” Her hand wrapped around his, and he knew that she was right.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><i>and the walls kept tumbling down<br/>in the city that we love<br/>grey clouds roll over the hills<br/>bringing darkness from above</i><br/>- "Pompeii" by Bastille</p></blockquote></div></div>
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